Burnishing machine



Jan. 3o, 1940. R GIE'SEY Ef A@ 2,188,629

BURNISHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1957 "gsheetsheet 1 e. 9 5 Q l' 4 l 7Cl` 5 3 r l0 :I (D I IHI *i T I 3 ll m 3 2 a 13 C l y a Fig 2.

BY Q MM M MMM ATTORNEY Jan. 30,Y 1940.

R. H. GlEsEYVE-r AL 2,188,629

BURNISHING MACHINE Y Filed Jan. 9,Y 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a@ Sb ATTCRNEYPatented Jan. 30, 1940 UNI-TED STATES -PATENT WQFFiCE BURNISHING MACHINERussell H. Giesey and Guy Behnke, lOklahoma City, Okla.; said Gieseyass'ignor of onev half of his right to Clarence E. Reed,-Wichita, Kans.;Dorothy E. Giesey, executrix 1 of said Russell H. Criesey, deceased fApplication January 9,

2 Claims.

j fup vof pipe sections, -usually to 30 feet long fro connected togetherby vspecial screw threaded vcouplings known as tool joints. The membersof these .joints have screw threads in one end to screw onto pipesections which they .are to con- "nect and -at their other ends they"are screw threaded so-that one member of the joint can be screw threadedinto the other member, the

last mentioned threading being coarse, usually about four pervinch. In adrill stem employed in present day practice, which may be severalthousand feet in length many tool joints-are used. In removing a drillstem from a well it is jnecessary to disconnect the stem section bysection, and it often happens that because some of the tool joints have'become frozen it is impossible to disconnect them Without stripping thescrew threads.

We have found that the trouble is due to the character of the contactingportions of the screw threads which, because of the roughness orprotuberances left thereon by the threading operation interlock witheach other and resist unscrewing to such an vextent that stripping ofthe threads will take place if enough force is applied to effect aseparation. These tool joints are made of alloy steel, heat treated, andare expensive and their destruction so far as Vtheir further use asconnecting means isconcerned involves material iinancial loss. y

The means for carrying out thek inventionl is shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which: g Fig. 1 is an end view of the apparatus partly insection for rolling the external threads of a tool joint section.

Fig. 2 is a'sectional detail View on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of theapparatus forrolling internal threads of a tool jointsection.

Fig. 4 is a diagram of a cutting tool, Vin section together lwith aportion of the joint being threaded by said tool illustrating how thematerial is being torn and left with hook-like formations on its surfacedue to the action of the cutting tool in making the thread, it beingunderthe thread which is diagrammatically repre- 1948'1, serial No.119,887r

sented as straight instead of curved for conven ience of illustration.

Fig. 5 is'a diagrammatic View of the inner and vouter members of thetool joint illustrating 'the manner in` which the rough threadedportions`l` of the contacting screw threads of said members interlockand produce a frozen condition of the' joint, the section being alongthescrew .thread and not across it.

" llig. 6 is adiagrammaticvewinsectionyof a roller smoothing down thehooked or rough portions leftbyj the cutter.

" rIn Figs. l and 2 a chuck is shown at l forl holding'` the member.` 2of the tool joint, which'.4 -is clarnped inl place by a screw l 5 Thischuck 4-isfrotated by any suitable-means and duringthe 'revolutionof'thetool joint member 2 rollers 3 having peripheries `V-shaped in crosssection are madeto bjearfon'the `surfaces of the screw threads andsmooth them down from 'the conditions intheir disengagement. There maybe four of theseV y smooth .surfaced rollers 3, as indicated in Fig. 1..They "are carriedgbybrackets 4 on arms' 5 attached to pistonrods 6 ofpistons 'lwhich pistons work infcylinders .-9, subject to pressurevfluid through'pipes, one of which is shown at ID. A4

springf restores the piston to normal position.

Under the pressure within the cylinders the rfour smoothing rollers`move towards each other in pairs and thus roll down the protuberancesexisting along the screw thread as a result o-f the action of the cutterin forming said thread. The base of the machine is shown at ll, and atI'2'i`s shown a'carriage which has rollers I3 running in tracks .I la sothat the chuck carrying the tool joint'member 2 will be allowed to moveas `according to the pitch of the screw thread engaging the smoothingrollers. A bearingfor the chuck is shown at I4, 2.l j

The above apparatus smooths down the externally disposedscrew thread ofthe member 2.

In Fig. 3 is shown a part of the apparatus for smoothingv down thesurfaces vof the internal Screw threads ofthe other member (box end) 0fthe tool joint with which the member 2 is to` be connected by theexternal screw threads of 2 engaging one of the sets of internal screwthreads of the box end 20. This box end is held in a rotary chuck I6which is turned by any suitable means to present the internal screwthreadto the smoothing roller 2|, which has a smooth periphery ofV-shap-e to t the said internal screw thread of the member 2l). Thismember is held in the chuck IS by clamp screw Il. The chuck turns in thebearing I8. The base of this apparatus is shown at I9. The smoothingroller 2| is mounted on a rod 22 having an end portion or mandrel 22aresting in a bearing member 24 engaging by its globular portion the wallof the restricted bore of the member 20 of the tool joint.A

A collar 23 is pinned on the mandrel extension 22a of the rod 22 andcontacts the end of the bearing block 24. The rod 22 has a hooked end22h engaged by a link 28 which alsoconnects with a forked member 27 on apiston rod 253 of a piston 25 suitable packing 29 and a gland 30 beingprovided to prevent leakage of pressure fluid. The piston 25 works in acylinder 32, under pressure of uid letinto the cylinder through pipe 34.A spring 33 operates the piston reversely to the direction that thepressure fluid from pipe 34 operates it. The cylinder head is indicatedat 3|.

Under the pressureof the 'fluid in cylinder 32 the piston 25 is forceddownwardly and through piston rod 26, coupling 21 like 28 and rod 22 thesmoothing roller 2| is pressed into'the internal screw threads andsmooths out any roughness existing thereon as the tool joint member isturned by the chuck. In the form of the appa'- ratus shown in Fig. 3 thechuck withthe work piece has no movement in the direction'of its axisbut the tool for smoothing the screw threads does have movement in thedirection of its axis. `For this purpose it is slidable on the rod 22and as the work piece is rotated by thev chuck ythe smoothing device byengaging the threads, ytraverses the socket from end tdl end of itsthreaded portion.

In Fig.y 4 which represents, in section, diagrammatically the materialof the tool joint member isshown at 35. The cutting tool which cuts thescrewl thread is shown at 316. The chip raised from the body of the tooljoint member during the cutting operation is shown at 35a.y At35b isindicated the cracks produced in the surface of the screw thread beingcut, it being understood that this section is taken along, notacross,the screw thread, and it is furtherdundersteod that for convenience ofillustration the piece being operated on is shown as `though straightsurfaced instead of curved. The "hooked over portions or vmounds left bythe cutting tool dragging overthe high ,places is indicated at 35o. Therounded edge assumed by the cutting tool after a period of use is shownat 36a and` 36h represents the angular front face of the cutting tool.

In Fig. 5, 3'! and 38 represent the inner and outer bodies of the tooljoint sections one within the other and the interlocking effect of therough'- ened or hooked surface of said members causing them to freezetogether, it being understoood that this view being in the nature of adiagram the contacting surfaces are shown in a straight line instead ofcurved.

In Fig. 6, 39 represents a body portion` of a tool joint section, likeeither that at 2 or 20, and ill represents a smoothing rollersubstantially the same as shown at 3 or 2l for smoothing out thesurfaces of the screw thread of said body portion. At lll is shown akesof graphite with vpart of the drill stem.

which the surfaces of the screw threads are coated or plated by theaction of the smoothing tool or roller,

To briefly outline the operation of the apparatus of Fig. l: The machineis started, revolving the tool joint to the left. The carriage is set sothat the rollers will engage the threads at the large end of the tooljoint. Fluid pressure is applied to the pistons which forces the rollersinto engagement with the screw thread. The rollers following the threadsfeed the carriage outwardly to the end of the threads. The fluidpressure is then released and the springs force the piston back. Thecarriage is then brought back to the starting point and the process isrepeated.

During the rolling operation graphite and oil is applied to the threads.This not only acts as a lubricant vfor the smoothing rollers, but thegraphite is also rolled onto the surface of the threads plating themwith a proper lubricant that assists in causing the thread surfaces toslide over .one another instead of interlocking when pressure tounscrew.` the members is applied.

A similaroperation takes place in Fig. 3, but in connection with theinternal threads of the box end, or `tool joint member 2D.

i In Fig. 2, itvwill be understood thatthe member 2 at itsfleft handend-has an internal screw thread to screw onto the pipe section formingstood that the member'Zllof the tool joint has at its right hand end asocket, the screw thread of whichv is complementary to the right handend ofthe tool joint member 2 of Fig. 2 while at the left of member 20inuFig 3 there is an internal .screw thread to receivev one of the drillstem sections. Y

We claim:

l'. A machine for smoothing tapered screw f threads ofa tool joint,comprising a chuck for supporting said tool joint, a burnishing rolleradapted to engage the screw threads for removing protuberancestherefrom, pressure means lfor forcing saidroller radially againstthethreads, means for'rotating said chuck and tool joint, means -forsupporting said roller for vmovement lengthwise of the tool joint inresponse to motion imparted to it by the rotating threads, said pressuremeans being resilient to accommodate the roller to the variations in thediameter yof the thread. j'

2. A burnishing machine for smoothing the threaded portion of a memberhaving a tapered screw thread, comprising a` holder for said threadedmember, a plurality of circumferentially spaced'smoothing rollers, all-of which are positioned to engage said threaded portion within thelimits of' a'single turn of thread, a support for said rollers,resilient means "interposed between said-support and rollers for holdingthelatter in yieldable contact with the screw threads and p'ermittingthe rollers to move radially to allow for variation in the diameter ofthe thread, and means for imparting relative rotary movement betweensaid holder and support, said holder and support being connected forrelative axial-movement therebetween.

RUSSELL H. GIESEY. v f GUY E. BEI-INKE.

It will be further under-

